New management team moves into place at Transnet terminals

Following the restructuring of its chief of operations (COO) role in October 2008 and the subsequent appointment of three sector-specific divisional executive managers reporting to a single COO, Transnet Port Terminals has made several new management appointments at three of its terminals. These became effective on December 1. Nikki Mbengashe, formerly the business unit executive (BUE) at Saldanha multipurpose terminal (MPT), has been appointed BUE at Richards Bay MPT. Mbengashe is a qualified industrial engineer with an MBA from the UCT Graduate School of Business, as well as qualifications in Project Management and Strategic Logistics Management. In 2005 she also completed a course at the Antwerp/ Flanders Port Training Centre in Belgium where her main focus was on creating and taking more ownership of value chains around the ports as a port operator. Her appointment follows the October promotion of Victor Mkhize from BUE at Richards Bay MPT to divisional executive manager for the multipurpose and automotive sectors. Louis Du Toit replaces Mbengashe as BUE at the Saldanha MPT, having transferred from his recent position as BUE at the Transnet Academy School of Port Operations in Durban. Du Toit brings 27 years of experience in the local and Namibian ports environment to the position. He is a qualified cost and management accountant and also holds a diploma in port management obtained from the British Port Industry Training College in Northwest Kent. He achieved his MBA in General Management cum laude at the University of the Free State and was awarded the Standard Bank prize as the leading final year student in his class. Du Toit believes one of the most pressing challenges at Saldanha MPT’s niche terminal serving mainly the steel industry will be to diversify the customer base to optimise existing capacity under staggering global economic conditions. Hector Danisa, former BUE of the Port Elizabeth terminals, has assumed the equivalent role at the Ngqura Container Terminal. This follows the appointment of the terminal’s former BUE Siyabulela Mhlaluka as divisional executive manager for the container sector in October last year. Danisa holds a BSc, BSC Honours and an MBA degree and has fulfilled numerous roles since joining Transnet just over three years ago. He has been at the helm of Port Elizabeth terminal for over a year and has steered the company through an era of highest productivity across its container, car and bulk terminals. The BUE role at the Port Elizabeth terminals is still vacant but will be advertised to identify a suitable candidate.